Some major retooling took place in
Cold War Kids' world in the 12 months between the
Behave Yourself EP and their third album,
Mine Is Yours. Their last full-length,
Loyalty to Loyalty, played like an unflattering caricature, all dragging tempos, grating vocals, and overdone attempts at “bluesiness.”
Behave Yourself found the band on better behavior, with tighter songwriting and a sleeker approach, but just how much slicker
Cold War Kids sound on
Mine Is Yours is still kind of a shock. Where they used to sound like they wanted to play church basements and speakeasies, here they sound like they’re gearing up for stadiums à la
Kings of Leon. Aside from
Nathan Willett's occasional vocal flourishes, the band puts aside any vestiges of its former rawness, coating everything in clean, glossy reverb that makes these modern rock songs go down easy. They’re downright
U2-ish on the title track, and “Skip the Charades” and “Flying Upside Down” aspire to anthem status. Every now and then,
Cold War Kids remember their roots on
Mine Is Yours, as on the sexy “Cold Toes on the Cold Floor” and “Royal Blue,” both of which conjure the slinky nighttime grooves that used to be their bread and butter. For better or worse, this album is polished and mature -- words that never would have described
Cold War Kids' music before. ~ Heather Phares